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U.N.: U.S., others 'stingy' on foreign aid
U.N.: Tsunami damage 'unprecedented'Emergency relief head calls on nations to step up aid UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United Nations' emergency relief head called the tsunamis that devastated large parts of southern Asia "unprecedented," and warned Monday that it may be weeks before the full effects are known. The tsunamis were "not the biggest in recorded history, but the effects may be the biggest ever because many more people live in exposed areas than ever before," said Jan Egeland, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief. With tens of thousands dead, many missing and millions displaced, still more serious problems lie ahead, Egeland said, including widespread illnesses. And it could take years to rebuild places that were wiped out, he said. "A lot of airplanes are already being loaded. Some are already airborne and going to the hardest-hit countries, like Sri Lanka," he said Monday afternoon, adding that experts had already arrived in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The United Nations has been unable to reach some of its staff in affected areas, including people in Sumatra and Aceh, Egeland said. "When we do not hear from them we are afraid of what has happened." In a news conference at U.N. headquarters in New York, Egeland called for a major international response -- and went so far as to call the U.S. government and others "stingy" on foreign aid in general. I'd love to hear this wanker make that claim in an average American bar room. I doubt anyone could dial 911 fast enough to save his worthless skin. "If, actually, the foreign assistance of many countries now is 0.1 or 0.2 percent of the gross national income, I think that is stingy, really," he said. "I don't think that is very generous." This coming from a member of an incredibly parasitic organization. Someone needs to remind him about the UN menu at their world hunger summit. The U.S. government expects to spend $15 million in its initial response to the disaster, the State Department said Monday. The United States' overall foreign aid commitment is around 0.2 percent of its gross national product. The Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress, in an April report to lawmakers, said total foreign assistance -- excluding the costs of reconstruction in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion -- was larger in the 2003 and 2004 budgets than in any two-year period since the mid-1980s. "The 0.2 percent of U.S. gross national product represented by foreign aid obligations the past two years, however, is among the smallest amounts in the last half-century. The United States is the largest international economic aid donor in dollar terms but is the smallest contributor among the major donor governments when calculated as a percent of gross national income," said the report, which is posted on the U.S. State Department's Web site. Egeland said that in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere, politicians 'believe that they are burdening the taxpayers too much and that the taxpayers want to give less. That's not true. They want to give more." Like we're supposed to take this moron's word about spending other people's money? At a White House briefing Monday in Crawford, Texas, CNN asked spokesman Trent Duffy about the "stingy" remark. He said he thinks the United States is "the largest contributor to international relief and aid efforts not only through the government, but through charitable organizations. The American people are very giving, so we'll continue to be that and we'll be a leading partner in this effort that lies ahead." I just hope that this time around we learn to attach some significant strings to our aid packages. Egeland, at the U.N. news conference, said the cost of the devastation will "probably be many billions of dollars. However, we cannot fathom the cost of these poor societies and the nameless fishermen and fishing villages that have just been wiped out." He said that international responses in the wake of major disasters are often overestimated. "We need rich countries, rich individuals, even only those of us who are reasonably affluent to respond generously. Here we are facing people who have lost everything. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost everything. Millions of people are now living in the worst possible hazards of having polluted drinking water, no sanitation, no health services," he said, adding that the conditions are sure to lead to disease. He neglected to mention how the UN has served to keep in place many incredibly corrupt regional governments who have done next to nothing regarding disaster preparedness. "The important thing is that we give and that we as citizens also demand that our countries give generously to those who have been so hard hit." The tsunamis were triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, and Egeland said the quake struck less than an hour before Sumatra was hit by the waves. (Explainer: Tsunami and earthquake facts) UNICEF: Clean water crucial UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy told CNN that the agency is doing "everything possible," focusing on getting blankets, medicine and water purification tablets sent to the affected areas. "Getting clean water to people is crucial," she said, and predicted widespread disease if that is not done. Yet, halting corruption that has forever interfered with the installation of sanitation infrastructure never seemed to be a high priority for these UN parasites. But that is not an easy prescription, she said, because transportation and communications in many of the affected areas are difficult even in the best of times. Asked about the concern that U.S. foreign aid is "stingy," Bellamy expressed confidence that the United States would chip in its fair share for what promises to be a protracted effort. "I think we're going to see a good response," she said. "I hope the American public will understand and support a long-term response." Asked what form of aid would be best for Americans to send, she did not hesitate. "I know people like to send cans of food or clothing, but the fact is money can get what people need quickest." The Center for International Disaster Information, which helps coordinate aid efforts, also urged people to give money rather than goods. We've heard it before, "Don't ask questions, just send more money." Time for that old tune to change! Posted by: Zenster 2004-12-27 |
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